BRICUP is touring some boycott celebrity speakers round the country to talk about ‘Israel, the Palestinians and apartheid: the case for sanctions and boycott’. Perhaps somebody could ask Omar Barghouti to kindly explain about Tel Aviv again, for those of us who still don’t understand how he could demand boycott of a really good university, and then go and privilege himself by enrolling there.
Or perhaps we could just give our attention to something better, because meanwhile in the real world Israel has once again brought new meaning to the word ‘apartheid’. A delegation of senior Israeli police officers is visiting Belfast to find out how to provide a respectful service for minorities:
“The mission, which includes nine brigadier generals from various police departments, is part of an educational program that aims to introduce the officers to practical tools for providing egalitarian and respectful policing services to Israel’s Arab citizens.
The program was developed by the Training and Education Department of the Human Resources Division and the Abraham Fund Initiatives.
This program is part of a joint venture between the Israel Police and the Abraham Fund Initiatives aiming to improve relations between the police and the Arab community. The venture was initiated following the October 2000 events and the publication of the Or Commission recommendations.”
That this has gone ahead under the current Israeli government is a tribute to the Abraham Fund and their friends in the Knesset. As well as advocating for Arab citizens with the Israeli right, the Abraham Fund has to make arguments to Arab citizens who want to turn their backs on Jewish ones. One example is a recent move to boycott “Jewish organisations” by Arab citizens of Sakhnin, to which the Abrahan Fund responded:
“Many of Israel’s supporters understand that just as in the past they contributed toward immigration, absorption, infrastructure development, and project renewal, today the issue of integration of Israel’s Arab citizens is an important and urgent national necessity which needs to be advanced to the top of the agenda.”
To precisely this end, the Abraham Fund is having a global online benefit on December the 9th 2009 during which they will present their work and how it is helping Israeli society. Register to join them real time, free.
Bonus link: The Abraham Fund’s Mohammad Darawshe, speaking in London earlier this year.
Engage 
December 2, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Is there someone out there who could explain to those of us lacking the knowledge how it is that “Yasmin Khan, Senior Campaigns Officer, War on Want” can take a lead part in meetings to support an obviously one-sided political campaign without breaching the Charity Commission’s rules on charities staying out of politics, at least one-sided ones?
I’m _not_ trying to say that she can’t have political opinions and can’t express them. But she’s only there _because_ of her position in the charity. Does, therefore, the charity War on Want support the boycott? If so, how can it do that without breaching the said rules?
This goes _much_ further than arguing about the effect of real or alleged Israeli policies and practices on the Palestinian inhabitants of the West Bank: _that_, I would imagine, is permissible under the rules.
After all, charities reap significant tax benefits as a result of _being_ charities.
March 25, 2010 at 11:47 am
[…] behind are the Board of Deputies of British Jews, The Pears Foundation, UJIA and UK Friends of the Abraham Fund […]